BASF/ExxonMobil to advance low-emission hydrogen via methane pyrolysis

Germany-based BASF and US materials firm ExxonMobil have formed a strategic collaboration to advance methane pyrolysis technology, a next step toward delivering low-emission hydrogen solutions for industrial use.

The companies have signed a joint development agreement to co-develop methane pyrolysis technology, and also plan to construct a demo plant capable of producing up to 2,000 tonnes of low-carbon emission hydrogen and 6,000 tonnes of solid carbon product annually at a facility to be located at ExxonMobil’s Baytown Complex in the US.

Mike Zamora, President of ExxonMobil Technology and Engineering Company, said. “Methane pyrolysis holds real potential, especially in regions where traditional carbon capture and storage solutions are less viable. ExxonMobil brings decades of deep technical knowledge in methane pyrolysis and a shared commitment to innovation.”

BASF has been developing methane pyrolysis technology over the past several years in a project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR).

Stephan Kothrade, member of the Board of Executive Directors and Chief Technology Officer at BASF added that the company has been working on this technology for more than a decade and developed a superior reactor concept that has been successfully validated at the firm’s test plant in Ludwigshafen.

Methane pyrolysis uses electricity to convert natural gas or other gases, like bio-methane, into hydrogen and solid carbon. The technology offers several significant advantages: it does not generate process-related CO2 emissions, unlike traditional methods for hydrogen production such as steam-methane reforming, requires approximately five times less electrical energy than water electrolysis and does not require the use of water.

Moreover, it leverages existing natural gas infrastructure, and therefore is easily deployable in different locations. The lack of process CO2 emissions makes it particularly attractive for regions where carbon capture and storage face geologic, technical or policy-related challenges.

This process creates two valuable products: low-emission hydrogen and high-purity solid carbon. Hydrogen is both an important energy carrier and an essential feedstock in the chemical industry.

The solid carbon has applications across multiple industries including steel, aluminium manufacturing, construction and advanced carbon products, like battery materials.